Golden Prosperity
by Rizza Harley
Summary: A vivid flower blooms; Blooms full with vigour/ With a thousand thorns protecting its leaves/ Though the princess seemed prideful and snide/ No one doubted her wise judgement and strategic mind [Rating subject to change/TRIAL STAGE]
1. Prologue

_Once upon a time in a faraway land;_

 _There lived a Kingdom decorated in Gold._

 _And at the top of this prosperous nation-_

 _Ruled a Princess at the age of fourteen!_

~~~~~~~

 _This princess was a brutal taskmaster,_

 _Leading her subjects with a strict hand._

 _Yet when her people stepped back to see the picture;_

 _The country was always flourishing under her command._

~~~~~~~

 _Favoring Knowledge this Princess reigned wise,_

 _Beside her was the servant who looked alike._

 _She had an elegant stallion by the name of Josephine._

 _With these in hand she earned many hearts' loyalties._

~~~~~~~

 _If a town was suffering poverty?_

 _Give them not gold but the food from the vaults--_

 _She'd reason: "They need sustainability, not hard cold wealth!"_

 _Maybe then they'd learn to barter and trade!_

 _ **"Stop being a part of the problem!"**_

~~~~~~~

 _A vivid flower blooms; Blooms full with vigour!_

 _With a thousand thorns protecting its leaves;_

 _Though the princess seemed prideful and snide--_

 _No one doubted her wise judgement and strategic mind._


	2. Chapter 1 Section 1 Scene 1-1

The executioner sighed.

 _Fools never learn, do they?_

The guards of the beautiful Lucifenian Palace chuckle.

 _Has she dissappeared again?_

The Minister gaped.

 _Oh, the girl won't be too pleased by these expenses..._

The citizens hummed.

 _I wonder what's in store for us this time?_

The castle itself was in a frenzy.

Far off, the throne of their princess sat empty.

 _"Princess Riliane, you need to eat!"_

 **ALLEN AVADONIA~HEAVENLY YARD**

I snap my head up just in time to hear the bells ding once, twice, thrice. I've been doing that quite a lot. When you start something and do it over and over again I suppose it becomes a reflex. The next words that fly out of my mouth could be considered as reflex as well.

"Oh, it's snack time."

I bend my back a little from the crouching posture I was using a little bit ago. The kinks in my bones all snap to a satisfying degree before I sigh.

"Its that time again, yeah?" Chartette tells me from behind. I smile a bit in exasperation.

"Guess it is. I'll leave you to it, who knows where she might be?"

"Got that right." She pats my shoulder, taking the broom I held. "Ya might wanna hurry."

I nod and dash off while she hands the cleaning item to another butler. The maids and other staff part ways for me to pass through as I race down the corridor.

To this day, I assume that I was the only one ever successful at locating our wayward princess.

"I feel kinda bad for the lad," someone says near me. He's probably seen me running back and forth. Every single day.

It's...slightly embarrassing.

"Its amazing how much he knows about the palace..." A maid whispers conspriatorily to her companion.

This is true. I've been here in the castle for who knows how long. Other than Ney, I'm one of the only staff here that lasted as long as I have. Others passed away due to illness or old age, which is fairly common.

(There was a rumor that those who did not have royal blood in their veins could not stay in the Lucifen castle for long, but it only stays as a rumor, since both Ney and I have been here for ages and nothing happens to us. Well. At least the rumor applies to her. Me...I wouldn't know.)

"Allen? Oh, it's that time again, isn't it?" The head maid, Mariam, stops me in my tracks. I skid to a stop as I nod and bow. It's only polite to show respect to my superiors.

Especially if said superior was one of the legendary heroes of the country.

Lucifenia was a country that was once ruled by King Arth and Queen Anne. Originally, it was a small country by the seaside. Then, with three powerful individuals and the firm rule of the Sovereign, they managed to expand their territory.

The three individuals who aided the King and Queen were known as the Heroes of this land. One, Leonhart Avadonia, the Crimson Swordsman. He's the man who took me in and raised me as his own along with my surrogate sister, Germaine.

Two, Elluka Clockworker, the famed Sorceress. Her skill in the arts was unmatched. I hear she took in an apprentice.

Three, the woman I worked for. Mariam Phutapie. She was a master of espionage and information, fooling her enemies with a silver tongue and misdirecting actions.

These Heroes were heralded as Legendary by the country. It would always be an honor to serve under them. To be as close to them as we are.

"Yes. I have to hurry, for the Princess might run off someplace once more." Truly, it seems that I am the only one to have successfully tracked her Highness Riliane down whenever she went out by her lonesome.

It probably did not occur to her that today is a day to celebrate. The day of her birth. A party was going to be held at the Hall of Mirrors, but what is a celebration without the intended celebrant?

As much as we could understand her love of privacy, knowledge, and freedom, she had to at least attend to her duties. She knew this much as well, but she may have forgotten about it by the time she has her nose buried in another book.


	3. Chapter 1 Section 1 Scene 1-2

**ALLEN AVADONIA~FOREST OF BEWILDERMENT**

As her most trusted (estimated, because I'm almost certain I'm the only one she ever speaks directly at) servant, it falls onto my shoulders to remind her of said duties.

I find myself in the sectioned off area we call the Forest of Bewilderment. It held the ever so popular Millenium Tree, but I doubt that's where Princess Riliane had gone to.

More than anything, she made known her distaste for anything too...common. So that ruled out the, as I've mentioned, popular tree.

I check the tree to be sure, and indeed, Riliane isn't here.

Perhaps she was somewhere deeper. My chest constricts in worry and anxiety, but I push it down. Riliane isn't a fool. She would never get herself in unecessary trouble.

At first, the Royal Guard would always accompany me in the search for the Princess. Sometimes it was a good thing, as the Princess was in trouble those times. More often than not, however, mayhem tended to happen in the castle whenever she wasn't around. The guards all realized they would give a much better service remaining at the castle.

Leonhart, my father, protested at this for a while, at least until Madame Elluka offered me a card that let me call for Leonhart if ever I needed the Royal Guards' assistance and aid.

As such, I was only the one searching for her at the moment. So I have to think. Where would Rilaine choose as her spot this time around?

I remember an old legend about this forest. A dream spirit once walked the path. One by one, it lured unsuspecting travelers and passers into the forest and they never returned. A bloodthirsty swordswoman. A well-known bard. A beautiful maiden. Brother and sister. Not one soul came back.

They all had certains 'gates' as a monument to where they disappeared at exactly. Perhaps Riliane was at the Gate of the brother and sister, as it's colored yellow.

"Oh, Allen. I must have not heard the bell ring. It's snack time, isn't it? What have you brought me?"

Her voice was as neutral as always, never really betraying her emotions. I find her sitting at a tree stump not too far away from the gate decorated with yellow flowers. In her hands was another book. This time it was about the legend I used as reference to seek her out.

I bow before anything else. "Yes, Princess. The bell has already rung. I've prepared brioche, as always. It is accompanied by black tea."

Hopefully the tea is as warm as when I initially prepared it.

I unlatch the bag I'd brought with me and bring out a plate and some utensils wrapped in cloth. Next, I take out a cup and a container that was filled with the tea. The container was special - it was engraved with a rune by Madame Elluka to retain some of the temperature of the contents inside.

Setting the cup on one of the plates, I poured the tea. Taking a bundle of clothe from my bag, I unwrap it to unveil the brioche and set it on the plate.

"Thank you." Riliane takes a sip of the tea and a bite of the snack. "Delicious as always." She gave me a small smile. I flustered a bit at the praise.

"You have my gratitude, your highness. We really must hurry back to the palace, however. Your party is but hours away!" I urge her in plea.

Immediately, its as if all the life was sucked out of her, Rilaine sighs, her face morphing into a stone cold statue. A tug of lips shows a sign of displeasure, however slight.

"I can't understand the necessity, you know," she says taking another bite of the brioche. It's halfway finished. "It is just me adding another year to my life. What could possibly be special about an ordinary day?"

I take a moment to think about my answer. 'Its special because of you, Riliane' is a response I won't be giving any time soon. It may set off a warning bell in her head, and I know first hand just how terrifyingly accurate she could be.

"Well...I'd imagine having another year with Princess Rilaine is enough to be a wondrous occasion. To your subjects, you are one of the most best rulers Lucifenia has to offer."

Riliane looks at me questioningly. "My parents were better rulers than me."


End file.
